We're Phelps Phans

What can I say about the guy? Um...he's freakin' amazing! Duane and I have really enjoyed watching him swim his way into the history books. Eight Gold Metals! GO PHELPS!

Fourth of July

I realize that the 4th was a while ago, but I still wanted to share these darling photos of the occasion. We spent Independence day in Utah this year. We kicked the day off in Provo, watching their parade. We ended up in Park City at Bitner Ranch. It was such a fun day!

Watching the parade in Provo

Matilda and Grandma Bitner

Mayah and cousin Morgan watching Underdog float by.

Me and my beautiful niece, Kelsey

Malia and her favorite cousin, Christopher (aka, Sha-shaw)

The Galan Grandchildren (those that were in attendence)

Eating s'mores in the back country of Bitner Ranch

The Bike Wash

Here are some photos of the girls at Renae's house. They had quite a bit of fun playing with Owen and Ava and the rest of the neighborhood kids. They ran around in their swimsuits and held a 'bike wash'. Some of the neighborhood kids brought over their own bikes to be washed. The bike wash lasted quite some time but they sure had fun.

It was so cute because Mayah and Malia just blended in with the rest of the neighborhood kids--the more the merrier. I sat on the porch with Renae and her hilarious neighbor. I can't remember when I've had so much fun just sitting around talking.

Later on, Renae broke out the snacks. The neighborhood kids gathered around to get their share of cookies, popsicles and soda. My girls were in kid heaven. We never have that many snacks in one sitting. I think they might want Renae to adopt them. I wouldn't blame them one bit if they did. I want to live at Renae's house too. She's got a great setup because she has a safe neighborhood with nice neighbors. To top it all off, she lives in a cul-de-sac. Lucky girl.

It was quite fun to watch all the kids play because it reminded me of my own childhood. Many of you might not know this but I actually grew up in Utah ( was born in Utah). I had completely forgotten about all the hot summer days I spent running around with my friends and my older brothers. We used to have water fights with the pesky neighbor kids, climb our cherry tree, play night games like 'Ghost in the graveyard' and 'Kick the can', and eat otter pops like there was no tomorrow. Good times.

I love summer. :)

Road Tripin'

Well, the girls and I have been driving all over the place during the last few weeks (while Duane was on a business trip to Europe). We are currently in Utah and have logged well over 4,500 miles (1900 of those miles were with Duane).

We drove from Michigan to Spokane, WA, Spokane to Vancouver, WA, Vancouver to Sandy, Utah, Sandy to Highlands Ranch, CO and Highlands Ranch to Sandy Utah. It's been insane.

In the car, the girls have viewed more TV then should be allowed, have memorized all the words to all the Backyardigan DVDs we own (which happens to be a lot), and eaten all the fast food they could handle. But in all seriousness, they've been really good for me. Especially while in the car. Even little Matilda has been an angel.

At each destination, the girls have made a lot of new friends, played with cousins, met a lot of doggies (and a few cats), and played in countless backyards (we currently don't have a backyard of our own, so this is a big deal).

Our vehicle is quite old and I've been traveling alone with 3 small children. Along the way, I've encountered a horrible snow storm (while driving through the Blue Mountains in Oregon), one vomiting child (Malia), problems with the car overheating (twice), several stinky diapers and one huge potty emergency (ME!). As far as I'm concerned, I know that we've been blessed to have made it so far without any serious problems.

I want to thank all our friends and family for praying on our behalf. We probably wouldn't have done so well had it not been for all of your prayers! Thank you.

As summer officially draws to a close... *sigh*

As the summer comes to an end I can't help but feel sad that it is already over. Fall is a beautiful time of year but it only reminds me of the looming winter ahead and how I am going to freeze to death. Michigan is known for its winter temperatures as it is often described as "bone chilling".

In order to get my mind off the upcoming Fall and Winter, I've decided to reminisce about this past summer. This summer was wonderful and is filled with great memories.

Originally we didn't plan on much traveling but somehow ended up going to Nauvoo, I also went to Ohio with the girls to visit the Morrison Family and we also found ourselves in Utah--twice.

Our garden has grown beautifully and we all enjoyed spending time in it, especially the girls. Mayah was/is quite a fan of snakes/bugs and Malia was our little piglet--playing in the mud while Duane and I weeded and watered the garden.

Ariel came to visit us twice, during the month of June and again in August. Ariel did some dating, made some friends, went to Kirtland, Ohio with our stake for youth conference, did some babysitting and also made us clean out our trash-hole of an apartment helped us get our house in order.

Duane traveled to Europe on a business trip this past May/June. He was there 2 1/2 weeks total. He spent some time in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and England. Obviously Duane was usually quite busy doing business-y things but he did get the chance to stay in a castle--all the while shoving his face full of paella--during his stay in Spain, drive over 120 mph (or was that kilometers per hour? hmm...I'll have to ask him about that) on the German autobahn and also ate some very bland food during his short stay in England--ApparentlyEngland isn't fascinating and/or exciting for the business traveler. While in Portugal, Duane was able to visit some families that he helped teach/baptize during his mission. He hadn't been back to Portugal since he left 20 years ago. It was a wonderful experience for him.

While Duane was in Europe I was at home holding down the fort. The girls and I did quite well on our own for the first week and a half. We kept busy by going to the park, did some shopping, went to the garden, and we went swimming quite a bit. It was the last week that just about killed me. Single parenthood sucks and I don't ever want to do that again--EVER!!!

The Fourth of July was quite fun. Ariel was still with us during that time and she invited her friend, Anderson to our ward picnic. Duane and I went to see Transformers while they babysat the kids and that evening we all went to see the fireworks display near our apartment. The city of Westland didn't start the fireworks until 10-ish at night so the little girls were passed out by the time the fireworks were going off. Too bad they missed it because it was a great show.

One of my favorite things I did this summer was go swimming with the girls 2-3 times a week. As a result I upped my chances of getting skin cancer got a really great tan. The girls also turned into little mermaids as their swimming skills improved. While neither of them really know how to swim all that well as of yet, Mayah did learn how to tread water, jump into the pool, and hold her breath under water. Malia can sort of hold her breath, is great at blowing bubbles, and is quite good at throwing rocks/pebbles into the pool when I am not looking. The girls and I really did love going to the pool and we are really sad that the outdoor pool at our gym is closed until Memorial Day 2008.

We did quite a bit more over this past summer but I just listed my favorite memories. I plan on reliving these memories while the leaves start falling off the trees.

Needless to say, I can hardly wait for summer 2008.